Clothes drier



Sept 8, 1953 w. R. MILBY ETAL 2,651,113

CLOTHES DRIER Filed Sept. 19. 1949 2 SheetS-Sheet l WILLIAM MILBYH BY ART/lun u. suc/( 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TORS A'r-roRNEYS,

Sept. 8, 1953 w. R. MILBY ETAL CLOTHES DRIER med sept. 19, 1949 lvrlsz l l lsa l WILLIAM K. MILBY. BY ARTHUR U. ESLICK.

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Patented Sept. 8, 1953 William-R;` Milby,-D.etroit, and Arthur U. Eslick,

Grosse.-1.ointe;-.l\lich.,., assignors tir-:The Detroit. Edi'son Company,..De'troit,. Mich., a, `corporation of Michigan.

Application-S'eptemher 19, 1949;:SeriaLNatllGAafk 2 'Claltimxny (Cl. 342.478).' i

The present invention relatesafto.clothesadryf` ers; and more particularly; to4 improved. apparatus.' l for circulatingv vair through.. clothesedryersv, 4ina A. closed system,-A removing: lint from fthe. damp ,air

and thereafter condensing; theV moisture from 'the-,t 5

air before returning. thezair.` to the -.dryir1gA com-.A partment.` v

It is an object of the present invention to pro...,. vide a clothes dryer designedgto prevent thefesf; cape 'oflint moisture-...and Aheat into the room..

Itis a further..ohiectiof;Y the present invention to provide means .for 1 removing Lvthe lint. from@ moistV lint-laden `air prior. to` condensation-ofthe u moisture .to-avoidcloggingwthe condenser with.. lint.

It. is 'ya iurtherfobject .of the .presentinvenl* tion to provide means .for removngthe; lintifrom.; moist lint-laden air prorto: condensationoi theamoisture vto avoidclogging :the condenser with lilll.:

Itis afurther objectief the. :present-1v invention.v s. to provide an improved:A lint-collector.".comprisf ing. 1 an air passage; having '.tconverging-,Wallsv lin fi the. direction of. air now, vat `leastzone.ofwwhich-f Wallsiis cooled toeiectfsuiicient.coudensationtof. 25

maintain. the-.Wall in; moist conditionaso 4'as :to provide a surface -on which-;the;1int Will deposita It is a further object of the present invention... to provideV lint collecting. 1means: and. condensing means inta -structuredesigned .torbeattached..ato.` present clothes .,dryers. A

It. isfa further object of the-.present invention... to provide `an improved vclothes..dryerY inzwhich thewunt-tellector'ana Lcondenser are. buuf.. inter. the equipment.

It` is a further objectfofethe Vpresent inventionaao to provide;` an. automatic washeri-adaptedzto have. a spin drying cycle and an air drying lcycle,s ..as to dry clothes tothe desired nalstageof dry??` ness.

tion to vprovide animproved `clothes dryer modif ned to. operate as4 means yfor dryingroom air..

Other objectsffand .features of .the .invention L Willy become apparent aslfthe :description pro-q ceeds. especially A.when taken'.inconjunctionfwith, f the accompanying drawings,vk .vvhei.,ein:,V

Figurenil is: a front` elevation: of. :the clothes 4 It. isV a furtherv objectV `of the. presenty invenfef 0 "ientlyfmaxgbe xafmetallic plate.. Located above theiplate Zfrzisi arr:inciined..linie-collectingV plate- 28 whichgtogetherewitinthe; fioor.v plate. 28 denesA @.Yclothes dryer enters the lint-collectingfcham- 2. Figure-.5. is.a.vfront;elevationofa modiliedy clothes dryer-rinc1uding lintcollectingand condensing.v apparatus.

Figure. 6 isra-rside. elevation yofthe dryer shown f in .Figure-..

Figura?? is a'plan viewV of vthe dryer shownin Figurevwith partsbroken. away.

Figure finisca.. fragmentary, section- `onv the'. line 8-&,:;Figfure 7.

Figure ;9--.is '7a. fragmentary ,section vshowing. a

mo'died. construction( renderingv .thea unit useful in .drying-*room air-i;

Referring now to .Figuren 1-l--tl1erev` is illustratedf af clothes .dryer- :comprising ay main. cabinet. f l 0= zprovidinganv interior Vcompartment including;arotarytummer.l2 in which the clothes` to .bedried arezlocatedi, A. closed systemz for cir.- culation-.of-'air isgprovided: and` comprises a. blower I4 .adaptedA tofwithdraw-.fair from thee interior through.` aduct..y Into ayertical duct .I8 whence the'airis. admitted through ari-opening;` 2G into a lint-collecting.chamberf22. An adjustable. pressure. relier-venais; provided aeindicated at` `24 to andffthe :system fprovidesfjfor.fgeontinued recirculation.of.air..y I

Therxlintfcollectingg chamberxgZ-Z; Vis. provided at itsbottomxwithi a ooraplatefl;which convenarrfairfpassagenwhich .converges .in thedirection A.of new.; or; air..V Means-.subsequently to beade- 'scribedz are provided for.; continuously. cooling the lint-:collector-platez Thefpnrposefoi cooling the plate Iis.:tan:eectasmall amount oflcondensationas the.-warm.moistflintvladenfair from the beim4 It is contemplated.- sum-cient. moisture will be condensed-.on theiflintfcollectorplate rto r keep the.;surfaced` ofA the. plate in. moist condition. 'It hasfheen ;foundathatwhenv the lint-laden air is. ,directeda.--alongf such-.a-.fplate, andfeparticnlarly.

when; diffusing;bailiefs means are4 v provided whichfiidene'withitlieplate -aizconverging .path in thefdirectiorr'of: :licw'ao: ami-.that substantially; all

of :thezlintgin thewairzwillzfdeposit,.upon the lintcollector platen.

it directediintofa condenser1chamben30i In-k termediate:- :the i-cooling` chamberl and the fzcondensenchamber;isfaipartition 32 which however is spaced below a cover 34 so that an air passage is provided between the lower surface of the cover 34 and the upper edge of the partition 32.

Inside the condenser chamber 30 is provided a pipe 36 for a cooling medium, which may be in the form of tap water. The pipe 36 may have any desired configuration but is illustrated as bent to form a plurality of parallel sections interconnected at their ends. Preferably cooling fins are provided to effect maximum condensation of moisture as the air passes through the condensing chamber. Y I

A pipe or iiexible hose 31 extends into the hollow lint-collector plate as indicated at v38 and is connected to a pipe 39 provided with a plurality of nozzle outlets 4|! to distribute cooling water longitudinally of the plate. The discharge from the interior of the hollow plate is through a pipe 42 which extends to a drain.

Moisture condensed in the condenser chamber falls to a perforated baiile plate 44 into a condensate reservoir 45 at one end of which is providedI a tap 46 for draining condensate from the device. The air after passing through the condensing coils flows forwardly above the perforated baffle plate and over an imperforate portion 48 thereof whence it ows through a port 58 into a vertical duct 52 and thence through a dryer inlet 54 into a heating chamber 56 located within the cabinet I8. The heating chamber 56 is provided with suitable heating means such for example as electric resistance elements 58.

As best seen in Figure 4, the cover 34 is hinged as indicated at 60 and the partition 32 and the lint-collecting plate 28 are secured to the cover. Accordingly, when the cover is lifted to the dotted line position indicated in the figure the lintcollector plate 28 and the bottom plate are exposed so that the lint may be readily removed therefrom. At the same time, the condenser coils provided by the pipe 3B are exposed and lint may periodically be removed from these coils. However, since substantially all of the lint is co1- lected by the lint-collector plate, cleaning the coils is very rarely required.

Attention is directed to the fact that-the warm moist lint-laden air is first acted upon by the lint-collector as it emerges from the drying compartment. Substantially all of the lint is removed in this chamber before any substantial condensation of the moisture takes place. Thereafter, the clean Warm air enters the condenser chamber where it is coiled andthe Amoisture therein is condensed. Thereafter, the clean dry cool air passes through the heating chamber where it is heated, and from the heating chamber it is discharged into the drying compartment of the cabinet Ii! for absorbing more moisture from the clothes. l

Referring now to VFigures 5-8 there is illustrated a modified construction of clothes dryer. In this case the cabinet is indicated at IDU and contains the usual tumbling container 02. Wet, moist lint-laden air is discharged from the interior compartment of the cabinet |80 through a port |84, the air being withdrawn by a blower indicated at |68 and thence upwardly through a connecting duct H8 and through a port ||2 into a passage |14. Located in the lint-collector chamber IIB is a lint-collector plate ||8, to the underside of which is secured a plurality of cooling coils |28. Located above the collector plate ||8 is a conical air diffusing baffle or cone |22.

The

H36. The air passes'througha ductv collector chamber IIS and separates it from a condensing chamber |26. Preferably, the fiow of air from the lint-collecting chamber to the condensing chamber is through a relatively small port indicated at |28, this port being closed by a Vscreen to catch any lint which has escaped the lint-collector plate.

Located within the air condensing chamber |26 is a cooling coil |38 which is preferably providedwith fins as indicated at |32 to eect most eicient cooling of the air and condensation of the moisture therefrom. The cooling coils |28 which cool the lint-collector plate are provided in series with the cooling coils in the main condenser and inlet and outlet pipes are indicated respectively at |34 and |3'S. These may be connected to a suitable supply of cooling liquid, tap Water being perfectly satisfactory for this purpose.

Located at the underside of the condensing chamber is a perforated plate L40 through which condensate falls and is received within a condensate reservoir |42. Suitable drain means as indicated at |44 are provided for draining condensate from the reservoir periodi-cally. For- Wardly of the perforate plate |42 is an imperforate plate |46 which together with the underside of the lint-collecting plate denes a return air passage |48. A verticalduct |58 is provided which communicates through a port |52 with the air passage |48 and is provided adjacent its lower end with a port |54 through which the cleaned cooled dry air is admitted to a heating chamber |56. The heating chamber |56 is provided with suitable air heating means such for example as electric resistance elements indicated at |58 and the air is discharged from the air heating chamber into the interior of the cabinet |80.

As best seen in Figure 8, a hinged cover |60 is provided on the top of the unit from which vthe conical air baiiie |22 and the passage ||4 are sus` pended. When the cover |60 is raised the upper surface of the lint-collecting plate ||8 is exposed and the lint may be readily removed therefrom. At the same time the screen over the port |28 is exposed and may be cleaned and also any small amount of lint which may have collected on the condenser coils |30 may be removed.

Referring now to Figure 9 there is illustrated a modied construction which renders the unit useful in drying room air. In this case the return duct |58 is provided with an opening |10. A cover |12 is provided which may be hinged as indicated' at |13 and which may include a duct closure portion |74. -The arrangement is such Lthat when the cover |12 is swung to the position illustrated in the figure so as to permit dried air toescape through the opening |18, the element |74 closes Vthe duct |50 so as vto prevent return of air to the interior of the dryer.

In use the heating element located within the dryer is de-energized and the blowenis operated independently. The door of the dryeris open as an air intake. Air is thus circulated vthrough theclothes dryer over the condenser,

condensing moisture in the air. Thereafter the air is directed through the opening im It is contemplated that the present structure may be provided as an attachment for existing clothes dryers. It is further contemplated that it may be built in as an original part of new clothes dryers. It is also contemplated that the drying structure illustrated in the iigures may be supplied in automatic washing machines so that a complete washing, rinsing, and drying cycle may take place therein.

In case the drying apparatus is built into a complete washing machine its overall eiciency is greatly increased. This is due to the fact that the iinal hot rinsing of the clothes in the machine leaves the clothes in heated condition so that it is unnecessary to use additional heat to bring the clothes to a temperature at which the moisture contained therein will evaporate. The entire closed system will be at an elevated temperature when the spin drying cycle of the machine is completed. Accordingly, a minimum amount of energy is required to remove the additional moisture from the clothes. Moreover, the conventional spin drying equipment, operated at a slow speed serves as an eiiicient tumbling device for facilitating drying of the clothes by passage of warm dry air therethrough. It is desired to emphasize the fact that the improved drying structure cooperates in a novel and very efhcient manner with the washing and rinsing equipment so that the complete washing, rinsing, spin drying and air drying operation may be completed most economically in a minimum time cycle.

The three basic operating parts of the clothes dryer disclosed herein are the heating unit, the condenser, and the fan or blower. The capacity of these units are interrelated for maximum efficiency. Preferably, conventional means are provided for varying the effectiveness of at least the heating unit and the blower, and this means may take the form of suitable controls for selecting the number of sections of electrical resistance heating elements employed in the heating unit, and a suitable rheostat or other control for varying the speed of the blower. The eifectiveness of the condenser is of course directly variable by controlling the now of the cooling medium therethrough. Tests under operating conditions have established that when the three variables are properly correlated the efficiency of the dryer is approximately 25% greater than dryers in which the condensing unit is not employed. Since the condensing unit requires no power and operates on inexpensive and readily available household water supply, it will be appreciated that this increase in eciency is obtained with substantially no increase in operating cost. It will further be appreciated that the principal operating cost of dryers is the heat required and that an increase of 25% in the overall operating eiciency is directly reflected as a 25 savings in operating cost.

The drawings and the foregoing specification constitute a, description of the improved clothes dryer in such full, clear. concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, the scope of which is indicated by the appended claims.

What we claim as our invention is:

l. In a clothes dryer including means for circulating air through the clothes compartment thence upwardly to a lint collecting chamber, thence to a condensing chamber, thence to air heating means, and thence rback to the clothes compartment, comprising a transverse partition adjacent the top of the dryer, side walls extending upwardly from said partition to the top of said dryer, end walls extending upwardly from said partition to the top of said dryer, one of said end walls having an opening therein for the admission of air from the clothes compartment 0f said dryer, the other of said end walls being of foraminous material, a cover for said dryer adapted to denne a lint collecting chamber with said transverse partition, said side walls and said end walls, a lint collecting plate depending from said cover and adapted to extend into said lint collecting chamber, said lint collecting plate being downwardly inclined from the end wall having the opening therein toward the end wall of the foraminous material to deiine an air passage of continuously decreasing cross-section, means for cooling said plate to cause condensation of a minor portion of moisture from the air passing through said lint collecting chamber, said lint collecting plate being thereby maintained in moist condition to eifectively collect substantially all of the lint passing through the space between said transverse partition and said lint collecting plate, means mounting said cover for upward movement to expose said lint collecting plate and the upper surface of said transverse partition and the foraminous end wall for ready removal of lint therefrom.

2. In a clothes dryer, a lint collecting chamber including opposed walls converging in the direction of air ow, at least one of said walls being provided with cooling means to maintain said one wall in a moist condition due to condensation of a minor part of the moisture of moist lint containing air passing through said chamber, said walls dening an air passage of constantly decreasing cross-section in the direction of air flow, a closure for said chamber, one of said walls being carried by said closure so that opening of said closure exposes said lint collecting chamber for removal of lint therefrom.

WILLIAM R. MILBY. ARTHUR U. ESLICK.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,213,999 Balzer Jan. 30, 1917 1,531,257 Brockett Mar. 24, 1925 2,310,680 Dinley Feb. 9, 1943 2,314,101 Phipps Mar. 16, 1943 2,369,366 ONeill Feb. 13, 1945 2,453,859 Pugh nn. Nov. 16, 1948 2,486,058 Patterson et al. Oct. 25, 1949 

